So far, users are currently five times less likely to be running Windows 8 as they were Windows 7 at the same point before its launch. The new statistics come from research firm Net Applications and indicate a lukewarm reception of the Windows 8 operating system by consumers.

Windows 7 was a follow-up to Windows Vista, which was one of the more maligned versions of Microsoft's operating system in recent years. Windows 7 lured many upgraders not only from Vista, but from the older XP operating system as well. Windows 8 doesn't have the luxury of following an unloved version of Windows like Windows 7.

The statistics offered by Net Applications only count computer users who installed preview versions of Windows 8 and preview versions of Windows 7. The statistics are believed to provide a clear indication of consumer interest in the operating system rather than a desire or need for new computer hardware.

In September, only 0.33% of all computers using Windows relied on Windows 8. That works out to 33 out of every 10,000 Windows machines using Windows 8. By the end of September 2009, with very similar time remaining before the launch of Windows 7, the operating system accounted for 1.64% of all Windows PCs working out to 164 out of every 10,000 units.

Analysts are beginning to believe that Microsoft won't see the uptick in OS sales that it hoped for with Windows 8. Gartner recently advised clients that it predicts the operating system would top out at only 20 to 25% share in the corporate environment.

If all you use it for is to stream movies, there are better options out there then Media Center. I used Sage TV for years, but when they sold out to Google, I switched to MCE. I have 4 clear QAM and 4 Cablecard tuners. I can record virtually any channel local or cable. You can't do that with XBMC since it doesn't support cablecard. I also use my Xbox as a media extender so I don't have to have a noisy computer sitting in my family room. Can XBMC do that? Now since XBMC is useless to me, that doesn't mean it sucks, it just means MCE is the better option for me just like XBMC is a better option for you.

"If you look at the last five years, if you look at what major innovations have occurred in computing technology, every single one of them came from AMD. Not a single innovation came from Intel." -- AMD CEO Hector Ruiz in 2007